


To make a difference

by Ailendolin



Series: To Boldly Go - a Blakefield Star Trek AU [1]
Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Comfort, Established Relationship, Half-Vulcan Will, Lingering Kiss, M/M, xB Tom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:12:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26840440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailendolin/pseuds/Ailendolin
Summary: Blakefield Kisstober 2020: Day 6 - Lingering Kisses.“Nervous?” Tom asked.Scho looked at him sideways, raising one of his eyebrows. “Of course not.”“Yeah,” Tom agreed, amusement bleeding through. “That would be illogical, wouldn’t it?”Scho returns to Vulcan for the first time in nine years to give a talk about the reclamation of former Borg drones.Tom goes with him.
Relationships: Tom Blake & William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield
Series: To Boldly Go - a Blakefield Star Trek AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064024
Comments: 16
Kudos: 16
Collections: Blakefield Kisstober 2020





	To make a difference

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Blakefield Kisstober 2020 and is dedicated to all those wonderful people of the 2nd Devons discord! I'm so glad I found you, guys!
> 
> No knowledge of Star Trek is required for this except for the following:  
> \- Vulcans rely on logic and never show their emotions. Scho, as a half Vulcan, half human, is more prone to emotional reactions because of his human heritage.  
> \- The Borg are arguably the biggest enemy in Star Trek. They are a Collective that assimilate other species and equip them with technology to turn them into drones. The most famous reclaimed Borg drones are Hugh (formerly known as Third of Five) and Seven of Nine. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own neither 1917 nor Star Trek and make no money with this.

**To make a difference**

Tom hummed quietly to himself as he stood in front of two large doors made of granite that led to the lecture hall of the Vulcan Science Academy. Five more minutes and they would walk onto the stage. He glanced to his right where Scho, impeccably dressed as always and looking dashing in his science blues, kept tugging at the hem of his uniform with restless fingers.

Tom tried not to smile.

“Nervous?” he asked.

Scho looked at him sideways, raising one of his eyebrows. “Of course not.”

“Yeah,” Tom agreed, amusement bleeding through. “That would be illogical, wouldn’t it?”

Scho nodded. “Correct. This isn’t the first talk I’ve given on this subject matter – as you well know since you were present for each and every one of them,” he added, his gaze straying from the remaining Borg implants around Tom’s eye to his prosthetic arm.

“But it’s the first time you’re doing this in front of the Vulcan Science Academy,” Tom reminded him gently.

He watched Scho bite his lip – another nervous tell Scho had never managed to shake and that Tom found incredibly endearing – before his face hardened into a stony expression. “That is irrelevant.”

“We both know it’s not,” Tom disagreed softly. “How many years has it been since you left Vulcan?”

“Nine years, four months and 16 days,” Scho said without hesitation.

Tom let out a soft breath. “That’s a long time to go without seeing your family, Scho.”

“I didn’t. You’re part of my family now,” Scho said, finally turning to face him. His eyes were soft and honest in the dim glow of the lamps and Tom felt pleasant warmth pool in his belly.

“Yeah,” Tom smiled. “But that’s not what I meant.”

Scho’s nervous fingers returned to the hem of his shirt. He looked like he was gathering his thoughts and Tom was more than willing to wait him out.

“The last time I was here,” Scho began quietly, “my grandfather called me a disgrace because I chose my human side over Vulcan. He is now Head of the Vulcan Science Council and I have no doubt that he will try to discredit my research. He has done so in the past and I have come to expect it.”

“But?” Tom gently prodded.

Scho stood up a little straighter as if bracing himself for something unpleasant and painful. “I do not mind what he says to me. His opinions on my life are irrelevant as I’ve stated before. But I know he will not stop there. He will take one look at you and see only what you were and not who you are and that –“ Pain that could only come from heartbreak flickered across Scho’s expression before he frowned and swallowed hard in a desperate attempt to reign in his emotions. “That is completely unacceptable.”

Tom took a careful step closer. “There will always be people who are afraid of me, Scho,” he said. “There will always be people who hate me, who refuse to believe I’m not dangerous. I was Borg. It doesn’t get any worse than that. We both know I’m lucky Starfleet still lets me serve.”

“No,” Scho argued. “Starfleet is lucky to have you.”

Tom gave him a grateful smile. “Maybe. But the point here is that people like me – former Borg, xBs, whatever you want to call us – we’re still a rarity. It will take time and patience and a lot of education to get people used to the idea that reclaimed Borg drones are victims rather than powder kegs about to explode. And that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To educate people and put a stop to that kind of prejudice.”

“I don’t think we can,” Scho admitted quietly. He hung his head and let out a sigh. “Not here. Not with these people.”

“We still have to try,” Tom said softly and then, because Scho’s grip on his uniform had become so tight his knuckles were turning white, Tom reached up with one hand to pull him down into a chaste kiss. He felt Scho melt against him as he pressed their lips together, felt the tension slowly bleed out of him with each second of silent reassurance that they would do this together just like everything else they had done in the past nine years.

Showing their affection for each other this openly in public was not something they normally did but when Tom felt Scho’s hand trail down his arm until their fingers met in a soft Vulcan kiss, he knew it was alright. He smiled against Scho’s lips and pressed even closer.

They lingered in this moment until the sound of a bell announced the end of the previous talk. Reluctantly, Tom pulled back and opened his eyes to see Scho follow him, instinctively chasing the kiss. Scho’s ears were flushed green at the tips and Tom wished he had the time and privacy to trace the color with more than his eyes.

Instead he pressed another kiss to Scho’s lips. “We’re on in a minute,” he murmured.

Scho blinked down at him with a dazed expression. “I think I’ve forgotten my talk.”

Tom laughed, feeling affection filling him to the brim. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Scho said softly, his lips pulling up just the tiniest bit before he pulled his fingers away from Tom, breaking their Vulcan kiss at last. He straightened his uniform and took a deep breath to center himself before his eyes found Tom’s once more.

“Ready?” Tom asked.

Scho thought about it for a moment. “Yes, I think I am.”

Tom smiled. “Good. Then let’s do this.”

The doors before them slowly opened to an auditorium filled with students, scholars and scientists. The stage was empty, waiting for them, and beyond it the committee sat, Scho’s grandfather unmistakably among them. The looks they received as they walked in varied from mild curiosity to open hostility and barely concealed apprehension but Tom didn’t bear them any mind. They’ve been doing this for the past few months, going from planet to planet to speak on behalf of reclaimed Borg throughout the galaxy, and while the experience was not always pleasant, Tom knew they would both gladly suffer the name-calling and angry slurs if only one person’s thoughts on the matter was changed for the better because of them.

Side by side, they slowly made their way up the stairs, and just before they walked out onto the stage, Tom whispered, “Just remember: I’m with you. You don’t have to face them alone.”

Scho looked over at him, and fleetingly pressed their fingers together once more in gratitude and love.

“Thank you.”

Together, they took that final step and looked up to face both the Vulcan Science Council and the auditorium. They held up their hands in the Vulcan salute to show their respect.

“We come to serve,” Scho began with the diplomatic greeting as customs demanded.

To Tom’s surprise, it was Scho’s grandfather who stood up from his seat and returned the salute in the name of all present.

“Your service honors us.” He paused and Tom was shocked to see him struggling with his emotions. “Welcome back, grandson,” Scho’s grandfather finally said. “It is good to see you again.”

With a smile, Tom turned around to look at Scho.

Maybe their chances of making a difference here weren’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this little AU idea, let me know either here or on [tumblr](https://ailendolin.tumblr.com/).


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